


Memory of a Hero

by lesbianbard



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Trans Link (Legend of Zelda)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:28:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26889640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbianbard/pseuds/lesbianbard
Summary: A lot of things change when you sleep for a hundred years.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

_Link…_

_Open your eyes…_

_Wake up Link…_

The girl woke with a whimper, a throat weakened from a century of inactivity. The dim lights of the pool she found herself in hurt as she opened her eyes. When was the last time she’d even used them? She felt her back and legs touch stone as the water she was floating in receded. 

Her limbs were stiff and creaked as she pulled herself off the stone tablet she found herself.

Link… Was that supposed to be her? The name itself sounded familiar, but the more she tried to think about it, the less came. 

\-----

Obviously someone had left her some clothes, but whoever they thought she was taller than she actually was. The shirt was too long and the pants were too small. She made do by tearing both with her teeth until they fit somewhat comfortably. 

She approached the next door, still following the soft, glowing light from the pedestal. The voice came to her again, telling her what to do to get the door open. The voice hurt her heart to hear, but she couldn’t recall why.

The pedestal glowed blue and made a sharp noise when she touched the Sheikah Slate to it. The door in front began to separate and rise into the ceiling. She had to shield her eyes from the harsh light that flooded in.

_Link…_

_You are the light…_

_Our light…_

_That must shine upon Hyrule once again…_

_Now, go…_

\-----

The old man looked surprised when he saw her,

“Oh.”

He almost seemed disappointed.

“Oho ho! Hello stranger!” Whoever the stranger is, he was good at lying, “What brings a bright-eyed girl like yourself to a place like this?”

The girl tried to respond, but all she could manage was a weak sounding, “Um…” Her voice not coming out didn’t seem to strike her as odd. 

“I see,” The old man interrupted her train of thought, “Well, wherever your voice is, it will come to you when you’re ready.”

He told her about where they were. The Great Plateau and the temple nearby. He offered her a seat by his fire and a baked apple. She nearly burned her mouth on the first bite. The old man told her more about the plateau; the fish, the bigger animals and the occasional monster he saw. 

Only a few minutes passed until she was hit with the urge to press on. The old man seemed to notice and offered her the large woodcutter’s axe behind him, “It may not be a normal weapon, but I’m sure a girl like you can find her way.”

\----

The voice returned barely moments after she was attacked by one of the monsters the old man told her about. A red creature, almost as tall as her, louder than it was dangerous. A few swings of the axe put it down. 

_Link…_

_Head for the point marked on your map…_

The more she heard the name, the more she disliked it. Not the name itself, but in reference. But moreso, when the voice called her that, she felt ashamed. 

Brushing that aside, she followed the voice’s order. The map on the Sheikah Slate was blank, but it showed a glowing dot. As she walked around, she could see the dot moving in relation with her. She could see a structure in the distance, like if something was coming out of the ground and pushed the earth up with it. That could’ve been it. 

Her intuition was right. A short while and some small skirmishes later, she stood in the shadow of a giant stone tablet, held aloft by… something. Parts of it had similar writing to the Sheikah Slate and looked like the pedestals from where she was before. Both the slate and pedestal glowed as they got closer to each other. She placed the slate in a hole that seemed to be made to hold the slate. It slid in and rotated around. 

Then the world around her shattered.

\----

_Remember…_

The voice came again as she picked herself off the floor of the tower. 

_Try to remember…_

She could see a white light in the distance. A castle around it, with black and red spires sticking up around it. 

_You have been asleep for the past 100 years…_

The voice continued on, but the girl couldn’t focus on anything past that. 100 years? That couldn’t be right...

_You must hurry Link, before it’s too late…_

The old man might have answers.

\----

He seemed to appear the moment she set foot on the ground. If not for the fabric she saw rustling, she might’ve thought he’d teleported. 

“It would seem we have quite the enigma here,” She nodded in acknowledgement and he continued on, “Did anything odd occur while you were up there?”

She nodded once more, but once again her voice didn’t come to her. How could she explain to the old man what she’d heard?

“I saw you react to something coming from the castle. Was it a voice?”

How did he?

He had to have noticed the look on her face, “I seem to have hit the nail on the head. Did you recognize it?”

She shook her head no.

His stature seemed to shrink, “I see. Well that’s unfortunate.” He turned and began to walk, gesturing for the girl to follow, “Do you see that monstrosity enshrouding the castle?” He pointed with his walking staff, “That is Calamity Ganon-”

The old man continued on, telling her what this creature had been doing for the past century. She found herself with the urge to move again, towards the castle this time and to put a stop to Calamity Ganon.

“Do you intend to make your way to the castle?” 

She almost didn’t notice the question, wrapped up in her own mind. She looked at the old man, nodded her head and grunted in affirmation. 

He chuckled to himself, “I had a feeling you would say that.”

\-----

Part of her was upset when the old man changed the terms of their deal after she’d come after that shrine. Another part of her was excited at the idea of exploring the plateau in search of the other shrines. But now, all of her was focused. Her sight was aimed down the shaft of an arrow at a boar she’d be following for who knows how long.

Earlier that day, the old man had found her chasing boars around with a sword she’d found in a bokoblin camp (he’d also taught her the names of the monster around the plateau), and had taken her aside and taught her the basics of hunting. She’d taken to it quickly. As quickly as she’d taken to everything else. Fighting, cooking, swimming. At certain points the girl thought she’d must have been quite the everyman. 

She let loose the arrow, striking the boar down in one hit. In the past several days on the plateau, she’d learned that she didn’t like to let things suffer. Even the monsters, she would put them down as quickly as possible. “The courageous Hero” the old man had called her. It obviously meant more to him than to her.

She approached the body and removed what she could from it with a clean sword. The rest would be taken back by nature and be returned to the wild. She could already see some birds and smaller creatures come out from their hiding holes to get what they could from the remains. She let them all be. 

It was on her way to the old man’s cabin that she’d realized how much she’d changed in the past few days. Maybe going to all these shrines was just a test? Or a way to get back to how she was 100 years ago? The old man still wouldn’t tell her about how the world was back then, despite her curiosity. 

\------

After a trade (the meal she’d spent hours hunting for in exchange for the old man’s warm doublet), the girl made her way up the snowy mountain in search of the fourth shrine. Magnesis, bombs, stasis, whatever the last rune was, it had her giddy with excitement. 

She’d changed into the doublet the moment she stepped through the gates into the mountain, the chill hitting her immediately. It hadn’t occurred to her until she’d put it on that it didn’t seem to match the style the old man wore. It was smaller than he was, so unless he’d worn it in his youth, it wouldn’t have fit him. Even then, it was cuter than anything he wore. It was almost made with her in mind. 

The thought struck her as odd. A lot of the old man struck her as odd. How he seemed to be everywhere on the plateau at once, his extensive knowledge of the Hyrule, and how the monsters never seemed to notice him. The girl may not have had memories, but she wasn’t stupid. Though, he was still the only friendly face she knew.

Part way up the mountain she had to stop for the night. The old man had told her to be careful in the cold, so she made sure to make the fire as large as she could before falling asleep. 

She dreamt for the first time that night. Flashes of memory. A red fish-woman that looked at her dearly. A giant rock-man who would slap her on the back and encourage her. A bird-man who flew around, taunting her as he went. A bronze skinned woman, several heads taller than the girl, fighting along her. Finally, a woman in blue, chiding the girl, but giving her a warm smile after. 

The girl awoke, a bokoblin screeching at her, swinging its club down at her head. She scrambled away, dodging swiftly. She grabbed the shield at her side as the monster swung again. Time seemed to slow as her focus narrowed. 

In a swift moment, she caught the club on her shield and knocked it away. In the same motion she grabbed her sword and struck the bokoblin down before it had a chance to recover. 

The sun was already up. She sighed in disappointment. 

It was time to continue on. 

\-----

The old man was glowing when she approached him on the roof of the Temple of Time. 

“Well done there girl,” He laughed as he said it, “The time has come to show you who I truly am,” His body shined as his clothes changed from the simple, traveler’s attire to a beautiful coat and shirt. A golden crown sat on his white hair. “I was King Rhoam Boshoramus Hyrule. I was… The last ruler of Hyrule.” The tired and sadness in his eyes became more apparent as he said it.

“After my life was taken from me, I remained here in spirit form,” He turned away from the girl and floated to the end, looking at Hyrule Castle, “I did not think it wise to overwhelm you while you recovered. Forgive me, but I thought it best to assume a temporary form, while I aided you.”

Rhoam finally told the girl about what had happened 100 years ago. The calamity, Malice, the Divine Beasts and the champions. His daughter, the princess, and her appointed knight. A swordsman named Link. 

“I do not know what magics changed your form, but it is obvious you are the same person that was put into the Shrine of Resurrection 100 years ago. The words of guidance that you have been hearing are from Princess Zelda herself. Soon my daughter’s power will be exhausted and Ganon will free himself. Nothing will stop him from consuming this land. 

Despite the anger in his voice, the girl could see the king’s expression. It was tired. It was nearing defeat. He gestured to the nearby mountains and told her to find a place called Kakariko Village and find the elder Impa there. He sighed and turned back to the girl. The heaviness in his face left him, returning the visage of the old stranger to him.

“I’m sorry for this burden, but… You must save Hyrule…”

The girl stared at him, still processing everything she’d been told. He smiled at her, once more before fading into blue light and flame. The paraglider she’d started this search for lay on the ground, waiting for her. 

Picking it up, the urge to move forward came back. And so she did. 


	2. Chapter 2

The journey to Kakariko was lonely. 

When she landed in the forest below the plateau, the first thing she noticed was a pair of screams. She ran through before finding a couple being attacked by bokoblins, much better equipped than the one she’d been fighting before. 

She joined the fray, struggling to keep the couple away from danger and fighting the bokoblins. One went down easily enough, but the second only fell when, in desperation, she threw the rusty sword she was using at it’s head. Her weapon seemed to shatter on impact, but the bokoblin stayed down. 

The couple thanked her and introduced themselves as Mils and Mina, a pair of treasure hunters. When they asked for the girl’s name, she still couldn’t answer. That was fine, they said and thanked her again. Mina had noticed the state that the girl’s clothes were in, ripped apart with her teeth and the elements of the plateau and gave her a spare set of her own. 

They tried to ask her more questions, but that eventually turned into them telling her stories about the surrounding areas. While the girl found it useful information, nothing being able to respond to their stories, outside of a smile or a nod, wore on her. Mils and Mina did eventually remember about a treasure nearby that absolutely needed their attention and let the girl be. 

She walked until the forest turned to plains and she could see a tower in the distance. She did make it to the top, but only after a terrifying encounter with several guardians. They’d broken her shield, and she only survived because she’d gotten them to fire their lasers at each other. 

From this tower she expanded the map on her Sheikah Slate and could see another tower in the distance, right below the split in the Dueling Peaks. That’d be her next target.

\-----

The girl traveled through the night and made it to the next tower by daybreak. She came across some monster encampments on her way, but nothing like guardians, thankfully. Aside from stopping a few times to rest, the climb was uneventful, although she could faintly see the outline of fish in the river below. 

That’d be her next meal, she decided, after filling out the map. She dived into the river from the top of the tower, grabbing several fish before resurfacing. One swam her head, trying to get away. She managed to grab it with her teeth. 

\-----

After two full days of traveling (a horse would make this easier, the girl thought to herself occasionally), she arrived at Kakariko Village. It was bigger than she thought it’d be, but quiet. She approached a familiar house, but was stopped by a pair of guards. They spoke among themselves briefly before letting her up the stairs. Before she could enter, a young woman stopped her, blushing and stumbling over her words before introducing herself as Paya. She apologized for her awkwardness and invited the girl into her grandmother’s home. 

The old woman inside grinned when she saw the girl. Every wrinkle in her face lightened as she spoke, “Well now, this is certainly a surprise. You certainly look very different, Link. Come inside!”

The girl did as she was told, the doors closing shut behind her. 

The old woman didn’t get up from where she sat, but continued on, “It seems the Shrine of Resurrection did more than just repair the damage to your body,” She gestured for the girl to come closer, “Well now, don’t look at me like that. I know I must look older, but you surely remember I, Impa?”

The girl tried to put a concerned look on her face and shook her head.

“I see. You’ve regained life, but have lost your memories,” Impa continued, telling her the history of Calamity Ganon. A princess with the blood of a god and the warrior with the soul of the hero. The failure from 100 years before. She also gave the girl Zelda’s last message to Link. Free the four Divine Beasts. On top of that, she was to go to Hateno Village and fix the damage to the Sheikah Slate. 

The girl was ready to get up and head to her next stop when Impa stopped her. 

“Link,” the girl still didn't like being called that, “Does your voice still escape you?” 

She nodded.

“I see… Can I safely assume you don’t remember the language we taught you? It was non-verbal. Based on what old Sheikah warriors would use.”

The girl’s face softened and she shook her head.

Impa must have seen the enthusiasm on her face, “It’s been adopted by a lot of Hyrule in the past century. It may help you on your journey.”

\-----

Days past. Between Impa and Paya, the girl picked up the sign based language easily enough. She could speak to the other villages well enough now. She helped them around the town and even fought a giant man someone claimed to be from the Yiga Clan. Occasionally the girl would ask Impa about her past, but Impa would tell her to go to Hateno Village first, “It’d be easier once you know more.” She would say. 

\-----

The people in Hateno were friendly enough, and Impa was right, when the girl signed at them when they asked what she was up to, they understood her with little issue. Although she still didn’t know what to say when anyone asked for her name. 

Before long, she found herself in front of the Tech Lab. The exterior was different from anything she’d seen before. A mash-up of the architecture of Hateno and the style of the ancient Shiekan she’d become familiar with. A young girl, much younger than herself, greeted her when she walked in. After a few shocked moments, Purah dropped the facade of the joke she was planning and started poking at the girl’s body and interrogating her.

“So Link!” Purah said as she squeezed the girl’s cheeks together, “You don’t remember anything? Anything at all?”

The girl told her no. All she remembers is waking up in the Shrine.

“No voice in your head asking you ‘Do you want to be a girl this time?’.”

The girl didn’t like what that meant. She told her no again.

“Hmph,” Purah took out a notepad and wrote and she spoke to herself, “Subject… lost all… memories… and physically… changed body…”

The girl “Um…” and “Ah…” until Purah looked back at her. She asked what she meant by that. That Impa didn’t tell her much.

“Ah, well here’s the thing-”

\-----

A blue flame and an upgrade to her Sheikah Slate later (why did everyone need her to do their errands for them), the girl was sat at the messy table back at the Tech Lab, a chipped cup of tea in her hands. 

“Do you remember anything about a man named Link?” Purah asked her from across the table, her notebook out again. 

The girl drank from her tea and told her no, but she kept getting called that.

“Well Link was one of the champions who fell during the calamity. We took him somewhere so he could recover and stop Ganon when he woke up. I should know, I was the one that took him!” Purah was too caught up in her story to notice the girl’s look of concern, “I took him to the Shrine of Resurrection 100 year ago. And now he’s awake! And that’s you!”

\-----

“You only ever confided in Zelda about this, but I won’t apologize for eavesdropping, she was my charge after all,” Impa told the girl as she was holding back tears and anger. She’d just recovered the first of many missing memories, and it had confirmed what she’d been afraid for a while, “And I’ll preface this by telling you that however you felt about yourself, you are no less deserving of respect.”

The girl could hear Paya wandering around above on the second floor. What could she have been doing up there?

“Even if you looked like a man before, even if you were raised and treated as a man, you were a woman. You still are. Now everyone sees you the way you would’ve wanted to see yourself.”

The girl felt her feelings from earlier fade. 

“Your body is different, but the rest of you is the same. You still have the soul of a hero residing in you.”

She asked Impa what it would mean if she didn’t want to be Link.

“Then you don’t have to be. You’re not the only one who feels this way about themselves,” She reached over and took the girl’s hand in her own, “I want to tell you that you can take as much time as you need to figure out how you feel, but I can’t. Calamity Ganon is still breaking free and Zelda still needs your help.”

The girl nodded and took her hands away. She told Impa that she knew and that she would still fight. 

As she was getting up to leave, Paya ran down into the room, “Before you go,” she panted out, “Grandmother asked me to fix this for you!” She shoved a bundle of blue fabric into the girl’s hands, before meeting her gaze and running back upstairs, her face burning red. 

The girl unfolded the fabric. It was the tunic she saw herself wearing in her memory, but it had been taken in, made it fit her property. 

She looked up and could see Paya looking at her from the stairs. 

“Thank you… Paya…” The girl said. It was low and quiet, but she knew Paya could hear, “You too, Impa… Thank you.”

The girl put on the tunic. She felt conflicted about what it meant, but she was confident she could fill whatever shoes Link left for her. 

She opened the doors to Impa’s home and stepped out. Her first target was just north of there. Zora’s Domain.


	3. Chapter 3

When it started to rain, she wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t until she slipped down a hill while being chased by a hinox that it became an issue. She heard the rush of wind above her and saw an entire tree fly over. She picked herself back up and ran towards the Hinox this time, firing an arrow as she ran. It hit true, knocking it onto its knees. The girl drove her greatsword into the Hinox, finally destroying the monster. 

She stood in the rain, panting from exertion and trying to compose herself. After several moments, she continued on, disappointed after seeing the broken blade where the Hinox once stood. Moving on, she started across the bridge towards the tower in the distance. 

“Miss! Miss! Excuse me, Miss!” 

The girl heard shouting, but couldn’t see where. 

“Down here, Miss!”

She walked closer to the edge of the bridge and looked down into the water. A Zora woman was floating in the water and looking at her. 

“You’re a Hylian, right?”

The girl told her yes and asked if she needed help.

“The Zora do! Can you go find Prince Sidon? He’s not too far down the road from here.”

The girl nodded and told the Zora woman that she would, and continued on.

\-----

She found Sidon eventually, after meeting two more Zora who pointed her in his direction. He was a lot more energetic than she expected. Something about him tug at her heart and almost seemed to spur a thought forward, but nothing came. 

Sidon asked her to come with him and help him stop Vah Ruta, the Divine Beast in that region. Of course, the girl agreed immediately. 

“Excellent!” He shouted, pumping his fists into the air, “I had a feeling you’d accept! Oh, but where are my manners?” 

He looked down at her, meeting her gaze, “I am Prince Sidon,” his teeth seemed to especially shine as he said it, “And what is your name, Miss?”

The question caught her off guard. She wasn’t sure what that answer really was, but she settled on introducing herself as Link. Hopefully, that would be okay. 

“So it’s Link… That sounds familiar,” Introducing herself like that might’ve been a mistake, “Still it’s a strong name.”

Sidon thanked her for promising to help and directed her further upstream. She’d have to fight her way to Zora’s Domain. 

\-----

As the girl walked down across the bridge into the Domain, shattered fragments of memory flashed in front of her eyes. Nothing that answered any questions, but she’d definitely been here before, in her old life.

“Link! You made it!” Sidon’s shout pulled the girl back into reality, it looked to her that he’d been waiting by the entryway. His loudness was almost becoming endearing, “Come, I need to introduce you to the King!”

Sidon went ahead. The girl needed to run to keep up with him (how was he so tall while the other Zora were her height?), but followed him up a set of stairs before he told her to wait while he told the King about her. 

\-----

“So you’re the Hylian Sidon is telling me about, yes?” King Dorephan was massive. Several times taller than the girl, “The object on your waist. Is that not a Sheikah Slate?”

This is slowly turning into an uncomfortable situation.

“You… Now that I’ve gotten a better look at you, it is uncanny how much you resemble the Hylian champion, Link.” The King’s deep voice reverberated through the room, “But if I recall, The champion Link was a man.”

The girl decided to nip this conversation in the bud. She told him that Link was not a man, that she was that person and that she’d lost her memories in the time since the Calamity. 

Dorephan began to laugh, the girl was worried about what he’d say, but once he spoke, she realized she didn’t have to worry.

“My own son! Unwittingly bring the Hylian champion to our doorstep! Haha!”

“So you’re the champion? No wonder your name was so familiar!” Sidon clapped her on the shoulder and joined his father in laughter. 

The King continued, “So you say you’ve lost your memory? Surely you remember us? My daughter Mipha, of course?”

The girl could only shake her head and tell him no.

“Really? What a shame, the two of you were so close. Well, perhaps your memory will return in time.”

She told him that it was. Slowly and sporadically, but it was. 

“Excuse me Father,” Sidon spoke up, “As much I love sharing stories of my dear sister-”

“Of course. Link, I’m afraid we must ask you for help. Zora’s Domain is in danger of being destroyed by the Divine Beast Vah Ruta.”

\-----

The girl felt a bit awkward as she changed into the armor that Mipha made for her over a hundred years ago. If Mipha did love the Link from before, she would’ve made the armor for him. It would’ve been too big and would fit awkwardly on her body. It should have. 

It didn’t. It fit her near perfectly. 

Just how much did the girl _actually_ know the other champions? She could barely put a name to a face. Was she friends with them? Or were they all just shoved together for a greater purpose. Another question she didn’t have the answer to. 

Still though. The armor fit. It would have to be enough for Yuzu. She thanked the owner of the Seabed Inn for letting her change in private before walking to where she saw the other arguing.

It was Mihpa’s statue, it had turned out. She joined them, letting Sidon argue on her behalf, but she couldn’t focus. Something in the statue above drew her in. She met its eyes and remembered.

\-----

Mipha… That was her name. The girl found herself sitting on the trunk of the robotic beast as Mipha held the girl’s hands in her own, alight with magic. Mipha was healing the cuts Link had gotten within the Divine Beast.

“Do you remember when we first met Link?”

She remembered Link nodding.

“We were both so young and you would always get hurt, but I would always be there to heal your wounds,” The glowing stopped, but Mipha still held onto Link’s hands, “You were such a small boy and you grew so quickly.”

The girl could feel Link’s hands within Mipha. They were so small compared to Link’s. She hated it.

“If we have to fight Ganon… When we fight Ganon,” Mipha corrected herself, “I’ll be there to heal you. No matter how grevious the injury. I”ll be there.”

The girl saw Mipha lift Link’s hands to her face.

“Meeting a woman like you has made this ordeal into a blessing. Promise me you’ll visit once all this is over.” 

She met Mipha’s eyes through Link’s. She knew.

_She knew._

\-----

The girl was thankful for the rain. As much as she liked Sidon, she still didn’t want him to see her cry. 

“Are you alright, Link?” Sidon turned away from Muzu, “You’re shaking.”

She nodded, hoping her shaking is all Sidon noticed, and told them that she remembered. 

“Hmph! That’s very convenient timing, if it’s true. Even if it was, the armor she made would be enough proof.”

Sidon childed him, “Yuzu, look at her. Look at what she’s wearing.”

The girl could imagine the gears in Yuzu’s head turning, “Fine… I’ll tell you where you find the shock arrows you need.”

\-----

It was when she was riding on the back of the Lynel that she finally started to feel confident in a fight. A well placed arrow had stunned it, dropping it to its knees, allowing the girl to grab onto it’s mane and put herself on. 

The lynel rushed around the mountain, crashing into boulders, trying to buck the girl off, but she held fast. All it was did was disorient itself further. 

When it stopped suddenly, the girl let go, getting thrown forward, over its head.

The last thing it saw was the girl, upside down, pointing one of the creature’s own shock arrows at it. The arrow struck, finishing the lynel. 

The girl landed on her back with a thud. The lynel was down, now to hunt down the rest of the arrows she needed. 

\-----

Gripping onto Sidon was much harder than she thought it would be, but so was swimming up the water spouts and knocking ice blocks out of the air. Still, she managed to board the Divine Beast without complaints. 

“Show no fear,” Sidon had told the girl when she boarded, “And make it back to Zora’s Domain. I’m sure we have much to discuss.”

She hardly needed to brace against anything as Vah Ruta rose from the water. She was a far different person now than she was when the first tower rose into the air. Even while it was still rising, she was already making her way to the nearby pedestal adorned with the mark of the Sheikah. 

The pedestal and floor nearby shined a bright blue once she tapped the slate to it. 

_Link… Is that you?_

The girl felt her heart squeeze. There was no way.

_You’re here… I’m so happy you’ve arrived._

The girl wanted to scream back, but her voice wouldn’t come. She wanted to tell Mipha something, but her hands were trembling too much.

_Now Ruta can be freed from Ganon’s control. Hurry, Link… Please…_

The girl nodded to herself. If it really was Mipha, she would likely show herself again. 

\-----

She was right, in a way. The girl still couldn't see Mipha, but could hear her words of encouragement as she made her way through, taking control of each terminal through Vah Ruta. 

_Be careful Link…_

The girl heard Mipha’s voice as she approached the control unit. She hesitated for a moment before placing the Sheikah Slate on it. 

Purple smoke erupted from around the control unit. The same kind of smoke that surrounded Hyrule Castle. It was Malice. 

It flew around the room, drawing in the blue light of Vah Ruta before coalescing into a sphere. It began to grow and shape inself. Whatever this scourge was, it was the largest thing the girl had fought so far. Even so, she still had work to be done. 

\-----

The Scourge was stronger than anything she’d fought so far. It’s spear meant she couldn’t get close and the ice blocks it threw her way destroyed most of the weapons she collected on her way through the Beast. Ultimately, it was the beam she recognized from the Guardians that destroyed it. Somehow, the girl caught it on her shield at the perfect time and reflected the beam back at it. 

Finally unimpeded, the girl tapped the slate onto the control unit. As it started glowing, the tension in the air finally released. 

_Hello again Link. Because of you, my spirit is free. Vah Ruta as well._

The girl looked around, trying to find the source of Mipha’s voice when she finally saw her. Just like Rhoam, she was wreathed in blue flame, barely touching the flood as she walked to the girl. 

_It's been a long time, Link. I’ve missed you._

Mipha walked up to the girl and smiled at her.

_The years certainly treated you better than me._

She reached out to take the girl’s hand. The girl went to return the gesture, but their hands wouldn’t touch. The girl felt her shoulder’s slump. 

_I’m not surprised. My life is already over, but yours is barely beginning. Go… And live..._

\-----

“You did well to survive against Divine Beast Vah Ruta. We’ve been eagerly awaiting your return,” King Dorephan told the girl, surrounded by dozens of other Zora, “The torrent has vanished and the thread to Zora’s Domain is nothing more than a bad dream. You’ve saved not only us, but all of Hyrule.”

“Link,” Muzu spoke up, “I must apologize for my behavior. It was unfair of me.”

The girl cut him off and told him that she’d already forgiven him.

“Before you continue on your journey, I notice that you are without your blade. The sword that seals the darkness. By chance, did you lose memory of that as well?”

The girl could only shake her head. If she was using it before she’d lost her memory, it might’ve been important. She would have to find it. 

\-----

Partway through the Zora’s celebration of her victory, the girl had to leave. It was all too much and she still had so much work to do. She found herself on the bridge overlooking Ruto Lake. 

“Will you be leaving soon?” Sidon’s voice almost took her by surprise, “I was hoping to catch you before you left, do you mind if I join you?”

The girl nodded at him and gestured to the space next to her. They sat in a comfortable silence for several minutes before Sidon spoke up.

“Do you still want to be called Link?”

The girl didn’t know how to respond to that. 

“People expect Link to help them,” She whispered, “I can be Link for them.”

“I think I can understand that.”

Another few minutes passed. The girl eventually pushed herself up, Sidon following moments after. 

“Whatever happens, know you’ll have my full support.” Sidon smiled.

The girl smiled at him and thanked him for his help, before turning and walking away, her work here was done for now.

**Author's Note:**

> On a minor hiatus to refresh my palate.


End file.
